Monthly Archives: June 2017

Post navigation

1971 Lombardi Grand Prix

Offered by Artcurial | Monaco | July 2, 2017

Photo – Artcurial

So what do we think it says about the design of an automobile if it is produced by a couple of different companies under a couple of different names? Does this mean that the design is solid and popular and so in-demand that a bunch of companies are all clamoring to build it? Or does it mean that one company tried, failed, went out of business and sold the design to someone else?

The Lombardi Grand Prix went on sale in 1968 and was sold through 1972. It was also sold as the OTAS Grand Prix, the Giannini 1000 Grand Prix, and the Abarth Scorpione. The car’s underpinnings are borrowed from the rear-engined Fiat 850, meaning this car is powered by an 843cc straight-four making 43 horsepower. Top speed is 99 mph. It won’t set the world on fire, but it’s small, light, and nimble enough to be loads of fun.

This example has been thoroughly gone through, having been restored about five years ago. They only built a few hundred of these and this one is expected to bring between $33,500-$45,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1968 Lambretta Mink Prototype

Offered by Historics at Brooklands | July 8, 2017

Photo – Historics at Brooklands

Primarily known for their scooters, Lambretta was a brand name owned by Innocenti. They operated out of Milan between 1947 (the height of scooter-mania in Italy) and 1972 (when both brands were sold to British Leyland – a death sentence).

Lambretta did try their hand at vehicles other than scooters, but their products apparently never progressed beyond three wheels. There were commercial vehicles, and this prototype microcar. This car was not built by the Lambretta factory but was constructed by the UK Lambretta importer. Production never began and this was the only example made.

Top speed of this Lambretta scooter-powered (200cc, single-cylinder) microcar is 30 mph. It’s a one-off, 4,000-mile car and it should bring between $11,500-$16,500. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1989 Ruf CTR Yellowbird

Offered by Artcurial | Monaco | July 2, 2017

Photo – Artcurial

The so-called “Yellowbird” is the car that put Ruf Automobile on the map. Built from 1987, the CTR (which stood for “Group CTurbo Ruf”) was not actually based on a Porsche Turbo, but instead the 911 Carrera 3.2 of 1987.

Ruf had their way with the stock motor and by the time they were done with it, it was a twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter flat-six that was seriously underrated at 469 horsepower (it was actually likely closer to 500 or more). It was a monster supercar in its day, having a higher top speed than just about anything, topping out at a whopping 213 mph, with 60 arriving in about 3.6 seconds. It outperformed everything from Ferrari and Lamborghini upon introduction and the only thing Porsche had on it was that the 959 was quicker to 60.

It’s a legendary machine that actually looks better than the 911 Turbos (930) that it sort of competed against. If you’re familiar with the Yellowbird, you’ll notice that this car doesn’t quite look right. And you’re correct. The original owner of this car ordered this CTR from Ruf and it looked like all of the other 28 Yellowbirds that Ruf built. The current owner acquired it in 1992 and wanted something that was more usable on the track.

By 1995 it had the appearance it has now, with a full roll cage, an RSR-type spoiler out back, slight exterior trim changes, and racing wheels and tires. But it is still a true, factory-built Ruf CTR – one of only 29 completed. Ruf later converted another 25 Porsche 911 Carreras to CTR specification, but those cars are still titled as Porsches (as Ruf is designated as a separate manufacturer).

This is the first one of these I can remember seeing for sale. They’re legendary, and rightfully so. This one is expected to bring between $560,000-$900,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Artcurial’s Monaco lineup.

1908 Hotchkiss 16/20HP Type T Roi des Belges by A. Descoins & Fils

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | June 30, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

Hotchkiss began life as an arms manufacturer and moved into cars in 1903. They survived WWII and some of their post-war cars are pretty attractive. They merged with Delahaye in 1954 and passenger car production stopped the following year. The marque soldiered on with commercial vehicles until 1971.

Hotchkiss was one of a few fairly large French automakers that existed prior to the outbreak of WWI that built properly large touring cars. This is not a small automobile. It seems like that the larger the company in France in this period, the smaller the cars. De Dion-Bouton, Renault, and Panhard et Levassor all produced relatively small cars at this time (sure, they made some large ones too).

What’s remarkable is that the Type T was the company’s smallest model for 1908! It’s powered by a 3.1-liter straight-four rated at 16/20 horsepower. The Type T was not built in large numbers and this example was discovered in a barn. The restoration finished up in 1998 and it’s still spectacular. The current owner bought it in 2000 and has taken pride in driving it thousands of miles in rallies. It’s the oldest Hotchkiss known to have its original body and it should sell for between $100,000-$120,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1965 OSI 1200 S Cabriolet

Offered by Artcurial | Monaco | July 2, 2017

Photo – Artcurial

OSI – or Officine Stampaggi Industriali – was an Italian company that stamped parts for other cars. It was founded by Luiggi Segre, the head of Ghia. They built parts for the likes of Innocenti, Fiat, and Ford. But at the 1963 Turin Motor Show, OSI presented a car of their own, this, the 1200 S.

Powered by a Fiat 1.2-liter straight-four, the car features a body designed by Giovanni Michelotti. It’s an attractive small car, reminiscent of small Fiat spiders of the day. It looks great with the full rims and whitewalls.

Built between 1964 and 1966, it could be had as a coupe or convertible. Artcurial says only 28 of these were built, but other sources list that number as high as 280. A different source says about 200 were sold. However you stack it, they’re extremely rare. To be the only one one your block with one will set you back between $40,000-$60,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

H&H Classics is holding two sales in June, the first of which was at the National Motorcycle Museum. The Rover we featured sold for $7,464. As is seemingly always the case, the top seller at this H&H sale was an E-Type, specifically a 1971 Jaguar E-Type Series III Coupe for $67,456. Click here for more results.

Photo – H&H Classics

Now we move to Bonhams Greenwich sale where two of our feature cars failed to sell: the Rickenbacker and Pierce-Arrow. The Rambler we featured sold for $73,700. The Bugatti was a strong seller, bringing $676,000, but it wasn’t enough to be the top sale, which went to this 1990 Ferrari F40 for $877,250 (which, compared the recent F40 prices, was kind of a steal). Complete results can be found here.

Offered by Artcurial | Monaco | July 2, 2017

Photo – Artcurial

The Bentley Arnage, Bentley’s big sedan that they built from 1998 to 2009, was, and still is, a great-looking car. It was a front-engine, rear-wheel drive, four-door sedan. But what happens when your giant luxo-barge doesn’t have enough room from the groceries, the dog, and a sheet of plywood? Well you go spend $900,000 at a few posh design shops and transform that big British boat into a wagon. And then you put wood paneling on the side, Ford Country Squire-style.

I love it when people with too much money don’t know what to spend it on so they build a ridiculous car (pro-tip, you can always just send that spare change my way). The Arnage T was introduced in 2002 and is powered by a 459 horsepower, twin-turbocharged 6.8-liter V-8. Top speed was 170 mph and 60 arrived in 5.5 seconds. Pretty stout for a 15-year old sedan weighing over 5,000 pounds.

This one owner car was sent to Genaddi Design in the U.S. to be turned into a wagon, something Bentley didn’t build. He also needed it converted to four-wheel drive because this was to be his exclusive transport at his house in the Alpine village of St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 4WD system has a Cadillac Escalade to thank for its engineering (and some parts).

When completed it was shipped to the owners home in Monaco, but they weren’t happy and sent it to Pininfarina to add some final touches (and re-do the interior). This is the kind of car that draws strong opinions one way or the other and for the record, as big fans of wagons and the Arnage, we love it. If you’re the kind of person who needs his or her Bentley to be rarer than your neighbors Bentley, then here’s your ride. It should bring between $90,000-$180,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1923 Bugatti Type 23 Brescia Modifie Torpedo by Lavocat et Marsaud

Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, England | June 30, 2017

Photo – Bonhams

Bugatti Brescias are so tiny. They’re like pocket-sized exotics. The “Brescia” name was applied to post-WWI Bugatti Type 13s. The Type 13 entered production in 1910 and went on hiatus for the First World War. Post-war, it soldiered on through 1926.

In 1920, Bugatti debuted the Type 23 Brescia, which had a longer-wheelbase. It’s powered by a 1.5-liter straight-four that made enough power to propel this car to approximately 70 mph (!). The body is a racy torpedo from coachbuilders Lavocat et Marsaud. It’s such a tiny car that the two seats contained within are offset, so the passenger sits slightly behind the driver.

Remarkably, this car retains its original bodywork and most of its original components, something that not many Brescias do (mostly because many of the Type 23 cars were later shortened to Type 13 configuration). The third (and most recent) restoration was completed in 2010. Only about 200 of these were built and only 19 are known to remain, with this being among the most original. It should bring between $710,000-$840,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1930 Delage D8 Tourer by Vanden Plas

Offered by Brightwells | Bicester, U.K. | June 24, 2017

Photo – Brightwells

The D8 was Delage’s eight-cylinder car that was in production between 1929 and 1940. If that seems like a long time, keep in mind that the Great Depression wasn’t exactly a great time to engineer and take to market a brand new, high end luxury car. That said, Delage did improve the car incrementally over the years, offering no less than five sub-models to the D8 line.

Produced in 1930, this is one of the original line of D8 cars. D8s were powered by 4.1-liter straight-eight engine making 120 horsepower. This car is listed as being powered by a 4.4-liter unit, its origin unknown. However, the body is the original body supplied to this chassis, having been bodied by Vanden Plas in Belgium.

It’s known to have been involved in an accident in the 1950s, but an enthusiast owner acquired it in the 60s and brought it back to proper form. It spent two decades in a collection and the current owner bought it in 2007, bringing it back to roadworthy condition after it suffered gearbox trouble while on a set for a film. It is expected to sell for between $190,000-$215,000. Click here for more from this sale.

1960 Tatra 603

Czechoslovakia’s Tatra built some of the coolest looking sedans of all time. The 603 was the newest iteration of their streamlined, rear-engined, air-cooled spaceship-style cars that dated back to the Tatra 77 of 1934. The 603 was built in three series between 1956 and 1975.

There were slight styling changes over the course of production (that had slight name changes along with it). The original 603 was only built from 1956 through 1962. The engine is a 2.5-liter V-8 making 99 horsepower and 112 ft-lbs of torque.

The 603 was used by high-ranking Czech officials but it was also exported to other countries as well. What’s weird is that this car is listed as a 1960, but the original 603 had an alien-like tri-headlight design. This car seems to have the hood from the original model model but the headlight design of the 1968-1975 2-603 II. It’s confusing. But it’s still cool, and it should bring between $35,000-$45,000. These are handbuilt cars and only 20,422 were built between all three models. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Auctions America’s Santa Monica lineup.